(Bloomberg) -- Volkswagen AG’s plot to cheat emissionstests by installing so-called defeat devices in its vehicles wasn’tlimited to diesel cars, but also included at least six models ofAudi 3.0-liter gasoline engines, according to a consumerlawsuit.

In a class action on behalf of owners of more than 100,000vehicles, the German carmaker’s Audi unit was accused of installingsoftware designed to beat emissions tests in its A6, A8, Q5 and Q7cars since February 2013 and possibly earlier. Audi executivesencouraged use of the devices in gas-powered vehicles as recentlyas May, eight months after the diesel cheating was publiclydisclosed, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in Chicagofederal court.

VW spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan and Audi spokesman Mark Clothierdeclined to comment on the complaint.

The lawsuit comes two weeks after U.S. District Judge CharlesBreyer gave his final approval to VW’s $14.7 billion settlementcovering 480,000 diesel cars with 2.0-liter engines, widelyseen as a benchmark achievement for the carmaker. VW still doesn’thave an approved way to fix any of the 560,000 cars still pollutingU.S. roads.

Volkswagen shares were little changed at 116.70 euros at 9:05a.m in Frankfurt trading. The stock has lost almost 30 percentsince the emissions scandal broke in September 2015, valuing thecompany at 61.5 billion euros ($67.2 billion).

Potential trial, criminal investigations

The automaker faces a potential trial with owners of 3.0-literdiesel cars in the U.S., in addition to shareholder claims,environmental lawsuits by multiple states and criminalinvestigations by the U.S. JusticeDepartment and European authorities.

“Throughout the yearlong dieselgate scandal, Audi chose tocontinue to deceive consumers across the country with yet anotheremissions-cheating device installed in even more of its vehicles,”said attorney Steve Berman of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, theSeattle-based firm representing consumers in Wednesday’s complaint“This kind of flagrant disregard for federal environmentalregulations and consumers’ expectations is unacceptable, and weintend to hold Audi to the law on behalf of those who overpaid forAudi’s noncompliant, polluting cars.”

While the algorithm-based defeat device in diesel cars wouldveil the vehicle’s real emissions, the gas cars are capable ofdetecting that the vehicle is in a testing bay and then shifts into“low rev” mode, according to the complaint.

“This modified shifting scheme effectively falsifies thevehicle’s emissions and fuel efficiency results by keeping theengine RPM artificially low, thereby using less fuel and emittingless carbon dioxide," Audi owners alleged in the complaint.

The consumers seek unspecified damages including restitutionfrom Audi’s sales and profit.

This case is Stokar v. Audi of America LLC,16-cv-10456, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois(Chicago).

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